Titan Comics has announced that Conan The Barbarian #1 will debut this July with a brand new heroic tale written by acclaimed and long-time Conan comic book scribe Jim Zub (Thunderbolts, Uncanny Avengers), with art by Robert De La Torre (King-Size Conan, Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
The new ongoing comic book series will kick off when the first issue lands at comic shops on July 26, 2023. It will also be available for pre-order in the May edition of Diamond PREVIEWS, and from Forbidden Planet for UK and Europe.The digital edition of the comics can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com. The first issue will retail for $3.99.
To celebrate the announcement, Titan Comics has released a slew of material, including a trailer, several of the alternate covers, and even some of the interior pages.
The press release described the new serious as taking place years after the battle of Venarium. A weary Conan returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude, but it is short lived as a mysterious scout rides in to warn the Cimmerians of an imminent threat that is on the march from the Pictish wilderness. Will Conan and his new ally be able to hold off the horde of invaders?
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About Robert E. Howard's Conan
In the midst of the roaring twenties, a pulp fiction author from the Lone Star state crafted a character that would become a cornerstone of the fantasy genre. Robert E. Howard, a Texas native with a vivid imagination and a knack for storytelling, introduced the world to Conan the Barbarian, a character that would forever change the landscape of sword-and-sorcery fiction.
Born in the prehistoric, mythical world of the "Hyborian Age," Conan's adventures, chronicled in a series of short stories and novels, are a thrilling mix of daring heroics, supernatural elements, and raw, unvarnished violence. This was a world where, as Howard put it, "the weak and the foolhardy perish quickly."
Conan's life is a whirlwind of epic proportions. He begins as a thief, then transitions into a mercenary, becomes a pirate, and finally reaches the pinnacle of power as a king. His rise is a testament to his indomitable will, brute strength, and cunning intellect. The character's larger-than-life persona and physical prowess make him a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the battlefield.
Howard's creation of Conan was not just the birth of a character, but also the foundation of an entire subgenre of fantasy fiction known as "sword and sorcery." This genre, marked by its focus on personal battles rather than epic, world-altering conflicts, represents the gritty underbelly of fantasy, eschewing the noble knights and high magic of traditional fantasy for a more grounded, often morally ambiguous perspective.
Conan first appeared in the pages of the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1932, in a story titled "The Phoenix on the Sword." However, the character's true breakout came with the 1934 story "The Tower of the Elephant," which is often hailed as one of Howard's finest works. From there, Conan's popularity skyrocketed, with Howard penning 20 more stories before his untimely death in 1936.
Despite Howard's early demise, Conan's legacy lived on, with the character achieving even greater prominence in the 1960s and 70s, thanks to a series of comic book adaptations by Marvel Comics. The popularity of these comics led to a resurgence in interest in Howard's original stories, and soon Conan was a household name.
Conan's cultural impact has been immense. Beyond the countless adaptations in books, comics, and movies, he has inspired countless other fantasy characters and has become a symbol of raw, primal power.
From his humble beginnings in the pages of Weird Tales, Conan the Barbarian has become a fixture of the fantasy genre, a character who embodies the spirit of adventure and the will to power. His enduring popularity is a testament to the enduring appeal of Howard's vision, a world where the strong survive, and where the clash of swords and the roar of battle are the music of life.